


Gilded Cage, Invisible Strings

by NamelesslyNightlock



Series: Going Down Swinging [101]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angry Thor (Marvel), Arguing, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: The Dark World, Developing Friendships, Feels, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Guilt, Hopeful Ending, Imprisonment, Light Angst, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Talking, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Trust, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: After the events of the convergence, Thor needs a new place to contain his brother. Tony is the only one willing to help.
Relationships: Loki & Tony Stark
Series: Going Down Swinging [101]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1330490
Comments: 15
Kudos: 162





	Gilded Cage, Invisible Strings

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you **Rabentochter** for helping me with typos and the tags ❤︎  
>   
>  **Prompt** — _“We all want to be somebody.”_

In a rather odd and unpredictable turn of events, when Thor appeared in the middle of the living room with his criminal brother at his side _Tony_ was the one who kept his cool.

Clint, in contrast, leapt so quickly out of his seat that he fell over the back of the couch. Natasha’s gun was in her hand in a moment, Steve’s fingers gripped the armrest of his chair so tightly the material started to tear, and Bruce was looking a little green around the gills.

Meanwhile—

“Hey Point Break,” Tony said. “Nice of you to drop by. We were just watching your exploits.”

Thor looked rather uncharacteristically solemn as he glanced toward the TV, which was still showing the broadcast from London. “Yes,” Thor said. “It was all rather—”

“Predictable.” The voice was low and prickly, and Thor glared at Loki in response.

Tony watched as the glare seemed to slide off Loki’s shoulders, those green eyes not quite so bright as when Tony last saw them. And he couldn’t help but wonder… what had Asgard done to their errant prince? What punishment had Loki been made to endure?

Whatever it was, it must have been harsh to have Loki looking this way, more worn down in spirit than he had been while attacking New York.

“Loki,” Thor said after a short pause. “Mind your tongue.”

Loki rolled his eyes, and Tony was expecting a sharp barb– but none came. The mage remained silent.

There was something that just felt… _off,_ about that.

“Thor, what happened?” Steve asked, his gaze flickering between Thor, the TV, and Loki. “And why… is _he_ here?”

“Asgard was attacked by dark elves,” Thor said, tone dark. “We managed to trick them on their home planet but their leader tracked us to Midgard during the convergence, resulting in the mess you saw there.” Thor nodded to the television. “Of course, this could have been avoided if Loki had only—”

“Thor, if you value the current state of your hair, I suggest that you do not continue,” Loki cut in. But despite the threat in his words and the sharpness of his tone, there was still something defeated in his gaze.

“Let us not forget who caused this, _Loki,”_ Thor hissed—

“Caused? That was not I,” Loki replied. “It was Dr Foster who interfered with the Aether and caught the attention of Malekith. I did not even know of it until you came to my cell to _ask for my help—”_

“Only after you had already made it worse,” Thor snapped. “I know what you did, Loki. I know what you did to my mother!”

Loki flinched back at that as if he had been slapped– while most of the Avengers leaned forward in interest.

Tony, though… he felt something cringe inside him, because Thor and Loki were brothers, right?

_Adopted,_ Tony’s memory reminded him, the word hissed in Thor’s voice and accompanied by a dismissive shrug.

It seemed that Thor was aiming for blood—

And had drawn it, going by the way that Loki’s expression froze into a cold mask.

“I saved you, Thor, I saved you all,” Loki hissed. “Don’t _you_ forget _that.”_

“That doesn’t matter, Loki. Saving us after killing my mother—”

“ _Our_ mother—”

“She died because of your mistake!”

“Your girlfriend was the one who drew them to Asgard in the first place—”

“And the Kursed would not have known where she was if you had not—”

“He would have found her anyway!”

“Is that what you tell yourself to ease your guilt?”

“I have no guilt.” Loki’s voice was as harsh as nails on a blackboard, his expression as dark as Tony had ever seen.

An ugly silence fell over the room, but while most of the others looked away, Tony continued watching as Thor’s shoulders slumped. Natasha, he noticed, was doing the same.

She cleared her throat, the sound cutting through the heavy blanket of awkwardness near as sharply as a canon. “Thor,” she said, voice soft yet lined with a certain edge. “Why did you come here instead of straight back to Asgard? We haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“We tried Loki on Asgard, and his sentence was to remain imprisoned for the remainder of his life,” Thor replied. “But Loki proved that even locked up, he will always continue to cause Asgard grief.”

“Thor,” Tony started, catching on immediately. “Buddy, if you’re about to ask what I think you’re about to ask…”

“He will cause far less damage down here,” Thor said, confirming Tony’s suspicions. “I can provide runes so that your prisons will be able to hold him. And he will not be able to have as much influence on the goings on here, than he did on Asgard, where our leadership is both singular and well known to Loki.” 

“I feel like there’s an insult wrapped up in there,” Tony started– but he was cut off by Clint’s immediate refusal.

“ _No,”_ Clint snapped. “Thor, he’s your brother, and therefore your problem—”

“He attacked your city. You remember when we caught him here, SHIELD wanted to keep him. Your people didn’t want me to take him back to Asgard—”

“Yeah, well, that was SHIELD.” Clint’s expression was murderous. “ _We_ don’t want him here. Take him back.”

“Now, hold on a minute,” Steve began– but Clint wasn’t done.

“Thor, you took him with the promise that he wouldn’t bother us again, that you would _deal_ with it. And as much as I would like to know for sure that the guy is behind bars and not gallivanting around the universe, as you seem to have let him done, I’d actually rather him be a fucking long way away from me.”

Natasha shot him a glance before speaking up herself. “Thor, you said you’d help us make sure our prisons can hold him. Wouldn’t he be more secure on Asgard?” 

“It’s not about how securely he can be held, it is about how much _influence_ he has on those around him,” Thor said again, his voice growing strained.

“I see.” Bruce’s voice was quiet, but it held everyone’s attention nonetheless. “You’re worried that _you_ will let him out again.”

Thor’s face reddened, but he did not deny it.

Tony let out a sigh. It was clear that Bruce had hit the nail on the head, but that didn’t help. It only made it all the more certain that Thor wasn’t going to let this go.

Loki, meanwhile… Loki’s face was pale. He was wearing an expression which seemed rather forced, despite the natural way that it sat upon his face– a seemingly easy smirk, and slightly narrowed eyes, as if he were enjoying the chaos and following every word carefully. But his cheeks were too pale for him to be comfortable, and there was something dark in his gaze which spoke of a bone-deep hurt.

Loki didn’t like what was happening, not one bit. But Tony couldn’t quite work out why—

At least, not until he thought back to the conversation – or rather, the _argument_ – that Loki and Thor’d had earlier. The way they had been at each other’s throats, and the hurt Loki hadn’t been able to hide at the mention of Thor’s mother.

_Their_ mother.

That, at least… was something that Tony thought he might be able to understand.

“I’ll do it.”

They all turned to Tony in surprise– their expressions no doubt mirroring Tony’s own. He hadn’t really planned on speaking, but now that he had… well, he didn’t want to take it back. The thought already had a foothold in his head, and besides. He had never really been one to go back on his word.

“What?” He asked defensively. “Thor, you said you need somewhere for Loki to stay. We all know what SHIELD will do if we let them have him, and I wouldn’t put it past Loki to tear the planet apart in retaliation. Nah, Loki can stay here. JARVIS’ll make sure he doesn’t get up to any trouble, won’t you J?”

“It would be my honour, sir.”

Tony grinned at the familiar sarcastic tone.

Clint crossed his arms firmly over his chest, a look in his eyes which told Tony he would likely be regretting his decision at least a little.

On the other hand, Thor just looked downright relieved. He pulled what looked like a tablet of some kind from a pocket, and held it out to Tony.

“Instructions, for building a cell,” Thor explained in reaction to Tony’s curious look. Then he placed the tablet on the edge of the couch, and glanced to his brother. He didn’t say a word, but the fire in his gaze was worth more than anything he could say.

Loki returned the stare, defiance shining from him as brightly as a beacon.

Thor shook his head, and looked back to Tony. “Keep him contained, Stark,” he said fiercely. “If you give him an inch, he will take the world.”

Tony nodded firmly. “I will.”

And that, it seemed, was all that Thor had to say. With only one, final look toward his brother, Thor turned on his heel and headed back out to the balcony, where he was swallowed up by a violent torrent of colourful light.

“I have no idea how I’m going to explain that to the repairmen,” Tony sighed, picturing the black mark that would no doubt be currently burned into the balcony. “I only just got this place fixed back up.”

No one seemed to appreciate Tony’s attempt at lightening the mood. Clint gave Tony an ugly look before walking out, and Natasha quickly followed him. Tony knew that he might not have been fair to Clint– he may not have had any experience with mind control, but he knew what it was like to have pieces of yourself pulled apart, to have your nature tested and torn until you weren’t sure what made you _you_ anymore. He knew how it felt to realise that you had been played like a puppet on a string– and to watch as your puppetmaster strolled into your home.

He _did_ feel a little guilty, and he knew that he would have to make it up to Clint, someway or somehow. But for now… there was a fox in the henhouse which needed to be calmed.

Steve and Bruce both lingered for a moment, but Tony gave them a nod before swiftly glancing up to the ceiling for half a moment. 

They both nodded back, understanding what he meant– JARVIS would alert them immediately if something happened, and Steve and Bruce would both be close and ready to help.

Looking back at Loki, though… Tony didn’t think that he’d need it.

He waited just until Bruce and Steve were both gone, until they were alone, before he began to talk.

“So,” Tony said, settling back down onto the couch in an attempt to make everything seem a little more comfortable. “Why did Thor really want you down here?”

“He told you, did he not?” Loki asked, his eyes darting to the tablet Thor had left on the arm of the couch. “Aren’t you going to read that?”

“Nah,” Tony said. “At least, not yet. Unless you think I need to?”

Loki frowned, as if he didn’t quite understand– or perhaps, as if Tony was a curiosity, something that wasn’t acting in the way that Loki had expected. Perhaps both.

“Not to mention that you _still_ haven’t answered my question. Why did Thor want to leave you here so badly?”

“You heard him. He thinks I killed my own mother.”

“And did you?”

“Maybe.” Loki’s expression was as hard and cold as ice. “I don’t know whether what I said caused the Kursed to find her faster. I don’t know if she would have survived had I said nothing. I don’t _know,_ but I do know that I did not _intend_ for it to happen.” His hands closed into fists, and he finally sat– though he moved with a painful stiffness. “At the time, I thought I was sending the Kursed to Thor. I thought for sure that he would have heard the noise and been on his way. I did not know—”

Loki stopped. Breathed.

“I did not _know_ that he had brought his human, that he was _distracted.”_

“So that’s why he wants you gone?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps he’s just sick of having me around,” Loki sneered.

Tony tried not to get frustrated, or angry. It was clear as hell that Loki was avoiding the main issue.

“Look,” he said. “I don’t want to force you to say anything you don’t want to, but I stuck out my neck in saying that you can stay here. Not in the least because it _is_ you. I just want to know _why._ What happened between you and Thor? He talks as if you used to be… well. Brothers.”

“And you think I would tell you?” Loki snorted, and rolled his eyes. Somehow, the action made him seem more human, and Tony had to remind himself of exactly who it was that he was sitting with.

“Guess not,” Tony allowed. “But if you’re going to stay here—”

“I did not realise I had a choice in the matter.”

_Fair._ “Okay then. _Since_ you’re going to stay here, I deserve to know what I’m dealing with.”

“You deserve nothing.”

“You’re going to be impossible to live with.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Tony was about to reply, getting caught up in the verbal spar, but there was an edge creeping into Loki’s tone which gave him pause.

There was a moment of quiet before he could think of what to say.

“Loki,” Tony said, struggling a little. These kinds of conversations were so far out of his comfort zone, and had he realised what this was going to entail…

No. He wouldn’t have pulled back his offer. This was _why_ he told Thor that he could have Loki at the tower in the first place.

“Just, listen. I told Thor that you could stay here because I can see that going back wasn’t an option, but I don’t understand _why._ Don’t you think I deserve to know?”

“You keep saying that same thing. That you _deserve_ to know.” Loki said the word as if it were a curse. “What does anyone _deserve_ from another person? How can anyone claim such ownership?”

Loki’s eyes squeezed shut, and his lips pressed together. The moment only lasted a second, however, before he was once again watching Tony with what must have been a carefully cultivated mask.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to have to act on someone else’s will?” The moment the words were out, Tony felt something clench tight inside his chest—

Something halfway between pity and _anger._ How could Loki– after what he’d done to Clint, to so many others– how _could he—_

“I see you are already judging me before you have heard the full story,” Loki said.

“I thought you weren’t going to _tell_ me the whole story.” Tony hoped that Loki couldn’t hear the tension in his tone, though it seemed that maybe he could.

But while Loki’s following smile was twisted, the hate it contained did not seem to be directed outward. It gave Tony a moment to pause, to breathe. To _think._ And thankfully, it seemed that Loki was not yet done. “You know, in Asgard, we believe in fate, that our paths are destined before we are even born. That’s something I’ve been used to my whole life. But to have my every thought and action pushed on a path I did not want to tread…” He looked away. “My whole life, I wanted to be someone other than what fate had planned. Thor was always destined to be the hero, but I wanted that to be _me.”_

Tony felt like he should say something, like he should reassure him. But the words were stuck, caught against a lump in his throat.

He tried to tell himself there was a chance that Loki was trying to manipulate, but somehow... did not feel like it.

“We all want to be somebody, somebody that we’re not,” Loki continued, his hands in his lap and clenching hard enough that Tony thought it must have hurt. “And no matter how hard we try…” He clenched his jaw just as tightly. “Well. For most of my life, I tried harder than most. And look where that got me.”

The negativity was clear, but it wasn’t necessary, and it rubbed Tony the wrong way.

“It got you _here,”_ he said, infusing the words with all the force he could muster. “Yeah, so you’re technically a prisoner. So I don’t trust you, so the other Avengers don’t even _like_ you.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Loki said dryly.

“Yeah, it does. Because Loki, you’re _here._ Thor didn’t say he wanted you locked up in a cell, or thrown into the sun. He just said that he wants you _contained._ He didn’t say exactly where… or how small your cell should be.”

Green eyes looked up sharply, and Tony felt his own lips curl.

“Yeah, you get it,” he said. “How does being contained on planet Earth sound?”

There was a touch of something hopeful in Loki’s gaze, but it wasn’t echoed in his words. “And you expect everyone on your planet to just go along with it?”

“You’ve said yourself that we’ve all got our cross to bear,” Tony shrugged. Loki’s brow furrowed, as if he once again didn’t quite understand, but Tony just kept going anyway. “None of us are saints, not even Steve. We’re not accepted because we’re liked, but because we’re _needed.”_

Loki’s expression cleared. “If you think I’m going to—”

“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted to be the hero,” Tony said, unable to help the grin. “Now’s your chance.”

“Do you really think it’s that easy?” Loki asked, arching a brow.

“Of course not. But where’s the fun without a challenge?”

“You are a very interesting person, Anthony Stark,” Loki said, his head tilting slightly to the side. He looked… surprised, somewhat. Curious, definitely. Almost… _intrigued._

It wasn’t a look that Tony had seen on Loki before– but it _was_ something he hoped he could see again.

“Why, thank you,” he said. Then, a little louder, he added– “Hey, JARVIS? Set up a room or something for Loki, will you? And sort out his access and everything. Same as with all the others’.”

And when he looked back, Loki was still staring at him with unobstructed curiosity.

“So,” he asked, “what do you think? Is this gilded cage at least better than being tied up and dragged along to the tune of someone else’s song?”

Loki eyed him for a second. “This is just another song.”

“Oh, come _on._ I’m giving you what has to be literally the longest leash in the history of leashes.”

“The fact remains that one planet is hardly enough for me,” Loki said, lips twitching. “I’m going to feel so trapped on this tiny little world.”

“You really _are_ impossible,” Tony sighed– though this time, there was not a drop of true frustration in his tone. 

Loki grinned. “I certainly try to be.”

And, this time... Loki’s smile was undeniably _real._


End file.
